Sage of the Moors
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: In ancient times there was a Legend of the Sage. A powerful, otherwordly being capable of communing with nature and uniting the world; fae and humans both. Same say the legend was but a myth, lost, to the mists of time. But what if it wasn't? Waht might happen when a sage-to-be encounters the strongest fairy of them all? Friendship. NarutoxMaleficent! Based on the recent movie!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just got done watching Maleficent! It was perhaps THE best movie I have ever seen in my life, with just the right blend of humour, romance and action. Really made me feel bad for her given what happened to her during the movie, but I don't want to spoil anything. BUT! By the end a curious little idea had formed; she never really had anyone trulu faithful to hrdue to certain events far beyond her control.**

**Here it is, and thank you all for your support in this hard time! Its been really hard with my uncle having died; I knew him ever since I was little and the thought of him being gone like that...by his own hand no less...it makes me wonder if I really knew him at all. So once again, thank you for all the support.**

**I love you guys so, soooo much! *Cries***

**I suppose I'm writing this as a result of his death. My uncle never really had many friends you see, and sometimes I wonder if just one would've changed that. It was either continue writing what I'd initially started with this fluffy little fic, or drown my sorrows in alchohol. And as much as a might enjoy the occasional bear, I'd much rather pour out my grief into something productive, that will hopefully make me feel better, rather than get drunk and angry. Now, without further adeu, with an idea weeks in the making...**

**...here we are!**

_"I like hearing you laugh. Do it again."_

_~?_

**Sage**

"What are you doing?"

A soft voice pierced the grove of the moors, uttered by an angel. Were one to gaze upon her they might not think so; the horns curling from her head and the great wings enfolding her back made her look more demon than deity, more evil than she had any right to be. And yet those warm caramel eyes shining from her heartshaped face were the picture of divinity itself, kindness incarnate. There was no evil in this girl, no anger, nor wrath, only childlike curiosity for the boy sitting there, a mortal who had apparently made his home in her world.

"Meditating." came the instant reply, uttered by the one sitting across from her. "Like my sensei taught me."

"Is that something you do often?"

...yes." His eyelids didn't so much as flutter as he spoke.

Compared to the fairy he looked quite mortal; the only anomaly being those strange whiskered cheeks. His drab attirre was battered and worn. his straw-blond hair matted and caked with dirt. He smelled like he hadn't had a bath in months, and while this would've offended a human, Maleficent took no notice. And even if she had, she was far too curious to care in any case. She couldn't remember the last time a human had ventured into the moors, and here one had been living under her nose for the last week!

_How curious._

Maleficent blinked owlishly at the sight before her, baffled by this be blond boy standing in her kingdom and...what had he just called it? Meditating? She didn't know what to make of it. Or him? She was perhaps one of the most powerful _fae _in the moors and yet this creature sitting there in the glad absolutely confounded her. Yes, she was young compared to most of her kind, but even so, she knew what a human was. Just as he had the knowledge that this boy, clad in threadbare rags, a wooden staff laid across his lap, was also human.

She hovered closer, her large wings beating but once and carrying her to him, buffeting them both with the slightest breeze. Yet again, he didn't react, beyond that strange twitching of his mouth. He'd simply appeared a week ago. At first they'd feared he was a thief, come to steal from them, but he hadn't tried to take anything. She'd only become aware of him a few minutes ago, when he'd accidentally knocked down the tree which had been her bed, rudely which she'd slept

"What, is there something on my face?" Despite his closed eyes, he seemed to be aware of her attention. A small smile plucked at her lips. Oh, so he wanted to play, did he?

"Besides those whiskers?"

"HEY! That's...I...you..." genuinely at a loss for words, the boy sighed and finally, _finally _opened his eyes, and bolted to his feet seconds thereafter. "If you must know, I was born with _these! _My sensei said they're the mark of a sage."

Sage?

"A sage?" She narrowly resisted the urge to frown in puzzlement. "Whatever is that?" Ah, but her eyes understood what her mind could not. Fascinating. His body seemed to blend with nature itself, when she looked at him through her second sense, those orange-dusted lids and wide golden eyes with slanted pupils strangely fae-like in their colorment...and yet, not. It confouded her to no end. Indeeds, the lad standing there seemed to be no older than herself.

"Look," he continued, "A sage is someone who-

"Are you full grown?" Maleficent asked suddenly, interrupting.

"I-what?"

"Its just...you're the same size as me."

A muscle jumped in the boy's jaw.

"Twelve and a half." he muttered crossly, his whiskered features knotting in consternation. "I'm twelf and a half, alright! I may be young, but I'm following in the footsteps of my master, Jiraiya the Great!" Abruptly his angry expression collapsed to one of impotency, shame flickering in those golden eyes. "Ah, who the hell am I kidding, the only thing Ero-senin was ever good at was wenching."

"But you're just a boy."

"And you're just a girl." came the snarky reply. "Erm...I think.

Maleficent giggled. Then she curtsied, delighting in the gobsmacked expression that filled his visage. Such a silly human, this one.

"My name is Maleficent," she introduced herself primly, trying to sound as regal as possible despite her age. "It is my very good pleasure to meet you then, sir Sage."

"Uzumaki." the boy unfolded his arms, saffron orbs fading back into sapphire.

"Pardon?"

The boy looked as though he was simultaneously torn between laughing and shouting. Perhaps he might even combust. At length, he managed to school his features into a mask of civility once more. A dangerous smile plucked at the corners of his mouth however, leaving her on guard. Whatever was he up to-

_Splat._

The fairy blinked in surprise as glob of mod whalloped her in the face.

"HA!" The sage crowed, cackling. "The name's Uzumaki Naruto! Ya'd better remember it-aargh!"

Sputtering, he collapsed as he found himself with his own faceful of mud. Maleficent was no stranger to this game; it was one she'd played many a time before. If Naruto though he'd taken her unawares then he had an all too nasty surprise waiting for him! Even as he clamored to his feet another globule of brown deftly swatted him in the river. He was up again in an instant, choking and swearing. Maleficent's bell-like laughter chimed merrily in his ears, her shadow falling over him as she took flight, her mighty wings spreading outward on either side of her small body.

"I like hearing you laugh." she smiled, looming over him. "Do it again."

"What?" Another laugh, this one courtesy of Naruto himself. "You actually thought that was _funny?"_

Her smirk widened.

"See?"

That was the first day, a day in which Maelficent of the _fae_ became fast friends with the strange, reclusive boy sage that was Uzumaki Naruto.

**A/N: And there you have it! I'm not sure if this is the first crossover in this genre, but its certainly the first I've attempted. Pairing is NarutoxMaleficent! And away I go! I've already got this story quite planned out, so I'll hope you'll stay tuned and share in the adventure in me. Anything's better than thinking of the death of my uncle, so, I've chosen to throw myself into my stories to keep my sorrows at bay. But that's all meaningless if I don't get any feedback or hear your thoughts on how I did!**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? This sad soul would certainly appreciate it =D**

**(Preview)**

_"Well," Naruto choked slightly at the sight of the army arrayed before them. "That's, ah...quite a few guys."_

_Maleficent smiled then and in some unknowable way that was more intimidating than the darkest glare or deepest growl. The sage very nearly blanched. In these sixteen years that he'd come to know an love her, he'd also come to know that smirk. It was by no means anything good, and it often meant pain for anyone on the other end of it._

_"Stand with me." she whispered softly._

_Then the ground began to tremble._

**R&amp;R! =D**


	2. Flying High and Crashing Low

**A/N: Just got done watching Maleficent! It was perhaps THE best movie I have ever seen in my life, with just the right blend of humour, romance and action. Really made me feel bad for her given what happened to her during the movie, but I don't want to spoil anything. BUT! By the end a curious little idea had formed; she never really had anyone trulu faithful to hrdue to certain events far beyond her control.**

**Here it is, and thank you all for your support in this hard time! Its been really hard with my uncle having died; I knew him ever since I was little and the thought of him being gone like that...by his own hand no less...it makes me wonder if I really knew him at all. So once again, thank you for all the support.**

**I love you guys so, soooo much! *Cries***

**I suppose I'm writing this as a result of his death. My uncle never really had many friends you see, and sometimes I wonder if just one would've changed that. It was either continue writing what I'd initially started with this fluffy little fic, or drown my sorrows in alchohol. And as much as a might enjoy the occasional bear, I'd much rather pour out my grief into something productive, that will hopefully make me feel better, rather than get drunk and angry. Now, without further adeu, the continuation of an idea weeks in the making...**

**...here we are!**

_"There will be no mercy; not for the likes of you."_

_~?_

**Flying High and Crashing Low**

Thus, so the years passed.

Maleficent came to know and genuinely care for the strange sage boy known as Uzumaki Naruto, spending nearly every dary with him as their seasons changed. As time flew by. She watched restlessly as he went from boy to man, came into his master's powers as a sage, and mastered them. Made them fully his own. Maleficent was not untouched during that time either; she grew from a graceful girl to a beautiful young woman with the passing days, coming into her own gifts and magic as well as she protected her home from those who would do it harm.

And she soon had an ally in that struggle.

To her great delight, Naruto made himself a permanent home in the Moors after that first fateful day-never a once setting foot outside it for as long as she knew him. Maleficent rather liked that. She had no fear of him going anywhere, for he was a being of Nature itself. Life and the preservation of that life was an inherent part of him and the idea of forsaking it-or her-for life in some misbegotten castle was as foreign to him as it was her. Initially she only asked him what he knew of the human world but when that well had run dry, they began to talk of other things. Many things.

Gradually, as is often the cases with ones so young, their friendship became something...more.

She wasn't entirely sure when their amicable conversations grew to include lingering touches, nor when it was that their mud-slinging games became races across the Moors, merry chases that would often result in very flushed stases and more than the occasional stare as she pondered the man that he was becoming. Soon enough she was _lonely_ without him, pining for his prescence during those brief hours that he was away. Strange emotion, that. She'd always ever had her friends close by, so why she

Wanted him by her side.

Even minutes apart proved to be agony. Ached. Every second spent with him

On her sixteenth birthday, they finally shared a kiss. It was the first of many, she hoped, and a sign of good times to come.

It was not to be.

* * *

They came in the night.

An army massive in size and scope, as large as any man had ever seen, ready for battle. Armed with wrath and fueled by greed. Their purpose, singular. Destruction. They halted at the edge of the Moors, pausing only at the seeming lack of resitance that greeted them. It was said that this land was cursed, that all who entered it never returned or worse, they did emerge, only to never be seen again. But there was no magic to greet their greed, no invisible defenses to bar their passage. Only...

Nothingess.

King Henry surveyed the thick and tangled trees looming before them with mild apprehension, his mount prancing nervously beneath them. Long had he aspired to take this land for his own as he'd promised when he'd first ascended the throne all those years ago. Time had weakened him somewhat in the decades since that day, but here he was at long last, old and determined to take what was rightfully his.

"There they are," he began, addressing the legion at his back. "The mysterious Moors. No one dares to venture there for fear of the magical creatures that lurk within." A pause, as he scanned the crowd for the telltale signs of cowardice, weakness, and fright. Seeing only a handful of these, he pressed on. "Well, I say...crush them!" his sword flew free from its scabbard, joined by hundreds of others.

Emboldened by their king's speech, the army let out a raucous cheer.

"We're not afraid of 'magical' creatures!" he cried. "We have swords! Armor! Horses!" The men waved their weapons high in the air and let out another cheer. "We will take the Moors and kill anything that dares to stand in our way! Now...FORWARD!"

He gave the signal and the men did just that, charging the small slope that separated them from their prize. The first men reached the bottom of a hill covered in mist. They began to climb, the ground shaking under their pounding footsteps. And then they came to a screeching halt. An impenetrable sense of malice and malevolence settled over them, rooting the quivering cretins to their spot as though they were part of the land itself. Scarce had they begun their advance again than the low growl of a beast resounded in their ears, chilling and piercing to behold.

From the other end of the hill, two dark shapes made themselves known. Enormous ebony wings appeared through the mist. Then a flash of blond hair. Followed a pair of sharp, twisted horns. Gradually the duo made themselves visibile to the eyes of the world, emerging in bits and pieces. One was a woman, as beautiful as she was beastly, midnight tresses cascading down her golden dress, only parted by a glorious wingpsan and those cruel-looking horns on her head.

At her elbow stood a man, if only defined by the broadness of his chest. He was the picture of mystery in his dark cloak and cowl, yet even as the soldiers pondered his identity he flung the latter aside, revealing rugged and handsome features, his bright blue eyes shining like stars in the gloom, his straw-colored hair glinting slightly in the reflecting torchlight. His sole object of ornamentation be a grey staff, carved of gnarled wood and bark, which he seemed to favor on his right side ever so slightly.

No one knew who they were, yet all instinctively feared this dynamic duo, none daring to approach these silent spectres in the murky gloom.

"Well," Naruto choked slightly at the sight of the army arrayed before them. "That's, ah...quite a few guys. More...than I was expecting." Maleficent stood beside him in all her glory, looking more demon than woman in her flowing dress of silk and gold. He knew better, but the soldiers standing there did not. They probably though she was a monster of some sort, summoned forth from the pits of hell. To her foes, she might have been just that. Any who dared to threaten what was rightfully hers would be in for the beating of a lifetime. He'd seen what she'd done to that thief way back when...

"Are you afraid?" as always, her voice was enough to send silent shivers down his spine, and not neccesarily bad ones at that. He turned, taking her in a glance, the fierce defiance glinting in her eyes, a white-hot flame threatening to burn all who came to close. Naruto stepped right through that fire and took her hand in his own-delighting in the subtle tremor that ran down her arm and into his palm, their fingers gently welding within one another. This close he could _feel _the magic thrumming through her, a heady mix of power and ferocity that threatened to make him weak at the knees. Like a mother bear protecting her den and her cubs inside, he knew the wrath wrapped within Maleficent was near infinite when presented with a threat against her home. Their home.

"Does that answer your question?" Funny though, he never imagined he'd be standing with her against his own people.

"I suppose," she sniffed, put out by his subtle dodge. "But are you, then?"

"Not really, no." The Sage drawled in the dark. "Just...nervous, I suppose. Not for myself," he ammended at her curious expression. "Its just...I don't want anything to happen to you, ya know."

Maleficent felt her cheeks begin to color beneath those moving words, her pale face burning a bright, cherry red. It was the little thing he did that made her love him all the more, the occasional brush of the shoulder, a whispered word to her while they slept in the branches of the Rowan Tree. And now this, his professed concern for her before they went into battle. For a moment she forgot all about the army standing at their doors, a pleasant euphoria filling her to the brim as she stared down the young man who had so completely captured her heart. And she smiled.

"Is that so?" a small, impish grin plucked at those full lips, reminiscent of when they were but children. "T'would displease you if I were to be injured, hmm?"

"Of course it would." his own face immediately colored at the admission. "I'm not afraid of dying, but if you were to be hurt...you're family. I want kids someday, remember?"

Maleficent's heart very nearly burst out of her chest.

_"Oh."_

"Ah." he blinked. "I...I said that out loud, didn't I?"

"Yes." another blink, this one her own, words tempered with disbelief. "I believe you did."

A pregnant silence hung between them.

Neither wanted to speak first after that. An apprehension hung over the soon-to-be battlefield, the feeling that an attack would begin, the instant the silence was broken. Naruto's words and love seemed so pervasive, and he had proven his dedication to her more times than she could count. But...a family? His words still echoed in Maleficent's mind—it wasn't too difficult to imagine little dark-haired girls or bright-eyes boys running around at their feet, winged children taking to the skies amidst squeals of laughter. Indeed, the thought had been running rampant on her mind for some time now, this time it was stronger than ever. She had known Naruto for _years _now, and been intimate with him since her sixteenth year. Still, _children?_

She'd never dared to dream Naruto might want half-fae, half-human whelps running around someday. Had he spoken truly? Did he see such a thing in their future? He'd never spoke much of his gift of foresight before, so she'd thought little of it untl this moment.

But now, with every passing instant, she dared new hope.

"You're going to remember that, aren't you?" Naruto groaned. That was practially an admission of his intentions right there; it took everything she had not to soar away into the sky and shout her joy to the heavens. If not for the army breathing down their throats, she might've done just that.

"Quite." Smiling from ear to ear, the mighty fae delivered a swift peck on his lips and started forward. "Now, lets give _them_ something to be afraid of then, hmm?"

Naruto frowned.

"Oi, hurting them wasn't what I meant-

Too late.

With a soaring leap Maleficent took flight, the sudden action startling the soldiers from their daze, causing them to scatter like so many cockroaches. Yes, cockroaches. That was exactly what they were. Naruto was an exception of course, but another life she might've and alighted upon a log, overlooking the grand force that had come to crush them.

"Go no further," she instructed gravely, her voice thundering out across the plain in a husky command. "You are not welcome here." Gone were the thoughts of little ones, replaced solely by the desire -need- to defend her home. None would set foot here.

For a moment, the army paused. Worry flitted across the King's face. He had been prepared to take the Moors unawares, eradicate his enemies in one fell swoop. The last thing he'd expected was to find himself face to face with Maleficent herself and a strangely garbed man wielding an equally strange staff. They were but two against many, relatively unarmed, and unarmored, without an army of their own to command. What chance did they possibly think they had against a legion such as this? No, he decided deep in, they would submit or they would die, like the rest.

Recovering, King Henry smirked at what he thought to be her gall. "A king does not take orders from a winged elf."

"You are no king of mine." Something dangerous flashed in those emerald eyes. Something dark, ancient, and incredibly powerful.

"Nor mine." Naruto felt inclined to add the weight of his voice to her own, hoping to tip the scales and force a withdrawal. He might have thrown his lot in with the fae, but he remained adverse to seeing his own people massacred. Because that was exactly what would happen if King Henry tried to force the issue any further. "Leave here in peace, my lord...or we shall make you leave in _pieces."_ He was not a patron of violence by any means; indeed on more than one occassion his teacher had expressively forbid him from exercising any form of his power unless attacked. So in the spirit of diplomacy, he'd tried one last time to persuade the man and his minions to leave in peace.

Alas, those words had an adverse effect on the wizened monarch, and not the one he'd anticipate. The King was a man of pride; he did not tolerate such insubourdination lightly. Indeed Naruto's words had only served to incense him, further confirming the worth of the Moors lying just beyond these two strangers.

Herny turned and yelled to his troops, "Bring me their heads."

As one his army thunderered forward, the sound of hoofbeats mingling with the clanging of armor in a rising cacophony of overwhelming sounds that threatened to deafen the pair standing before them. Pehaps it might have done so, were their adversaries ordinary humans. Instead, they sealed their fate. The Sage sighed, his lids already dusted with orange. Sapphire snapped into saffron, round irises became vertical and slanted. The lifeforce of the Moors, of life itself, swarmed around him, emboldening his body with temporary strength not his own. He gave himself to it, let it flow through him, direct him.

_Command him._

"You shall not pass!

Naruto barked out an ancient oath and slammed his staff into the earth, creating a powerful shockwave that sent the soldiers slamming back into their ranks. Beyond that, nothing happened. Nothing at first. Then Maleficent felt it. Nature heeded his call slowly but surely, a storm screaming out of nowhere to encompass the battlefield, carpets of earth rippling away from them in every direction, the very air itself boiling with flames and lightning. The soldiers cowered in fear at this impressive display. Not magic in the fae sense but a powerful technique nonetheless. Ninshu, he had called it. The Sage wouldn't attack, unless they chose to continue down this path and commit themselves to offense directly. Then and only then would he engage in active combat.

She herself had no such philosophical restrictions.

Maleficent smiled then and in some unknowable way that was more intimidating than the darkest glare or deepest growl. Naruto very nearly blanched. In all these sixteen years that he'd come to know and love her, so too had also come to know that smirk. It was by no means anything good, and it often meant pain for anyone on the other end of it.

"Stand with me." she whispered softly, her voice rising with each and every syllable. "Rise and fight with me now!"

Then the ground began to tremble.

Now, Naruto had spent a great deal of time in the Moors but even he was taken aback by the sight simmering into view around him. Creatures of every sort arose to defend their home. From Balthazar and his tree-like sentinels riding astride their large boars, to great orges of root and rock, even dragons formed of the earth itself. As one they surged forward to meet the paralyzed army in a wave of death destruction, tearing into the stupified soldiers as though they were made of tissue paper, not flesh and bone and iron.

Then there was no more time for thought. Only slaughter.

The Moorland forces showed no mercy to their enemies. Indeed the Fae were a kind people when left to their own devices, but when provoked, threatened beyond their means, there was no quarter to be given. Naruto even found himself drawn into the conflict as well, winging his staff to bring down all the fury of the elements onto his foes, shattering breastplates and swords with the deceptively frail-looking weapon, knocking others insensate with nature-empowered blows of his arms whenever they dared too close, long hair growing harsh and jagged to impale the unfortunate few who made it through even those defenses.

Men shrank back from him in the torchlight, Amidst it all, he caught a flash of black in the gloom. Unbidden he smiled.

_Maleficent._

His dark fairy swooped and dove amongst them like an angel of death, dealing doom to all those who dared raise a hand against her. It only took her a moment to catch King Henry himself. From above, she battered at his mount with her wings until he fell off his horse, landing heavily on his back. She alighted after and stood looming above him with a sibilant hiss, those beautiful features knotted in rare and unholy ire, as he quivered under foot How dare this weak little man threaten her kingdom

"You will not have the Moors now or ever!" she cried, voice booming.

Terrified beyond belief the king lashed out, unwitting bringing an armored hand to bear against her collarbone.

_Iron._

Maleficent gasped as the iron gauntlet slammed into her chest, sending her sprawling. Realizing what he'd just done, the malevolent monarch clamored to his feet, madness in his eyes. Maleficent saw it and despite her still-mending wound, a part of her quailed at the intention there. King Henry was positively euphoric. Despite his wounds and the incessant the aching of his old heart where she'd struck, the sudden sign of weakness in the leader of the Fae energized him. Galvanized him. He advanced on her still form, a crazed glint overtaking his face.

She could be hurt, he realized, drawing his blade! And if an iron hand burned, then surely a blade would kill her. Yes, there could be no fear now. No doubt. All he had to do was strike her down. Strike, and-

"Urk!"

Naruto was suddenly there in a whirlwind of motion, bodily interposing himself between the mad monarch and Maleficent at the last instant, catching him in a sweeping kick that buckled his breastplate, rending the stiff metal effortlessly. But too late. Tempered steel bit hungrily into flesh, yet it was human blood that spilled across the Moors, not that of the fae. The sharp edge struck to the point, cleaving flesh and muscle like churned butter before Maleficent's very eyes. Despite his frailty the king had struck true, nearly cleaving her beloved in two from shoulder to sternum.

In that instant, something cried out in her heart.

"NO!"

Remarkably, her mate didn't fall.

Lurching backwards his boots bit into the earth, steadying himself. A rough, calloused palm closed around the blade, holding it into the wound, holding his foe fast. Henry would've been wise to release his blade then. In his fury however, the king could only see the fairy standing just beyond him. How dare this peon stand in his way! How _dare _he prevent his conquest!

"Impudent...little...

Naruto said nothing more, but he struck like a serpent, yelling his fury and giving his body the sharp, savage counter-twists that made his kicks so blindingly fast and powerful. Even Maleficent, who was looking straight at him, barely saw the strike. Naruto's shin, a flawless fusion of flesh and nature made one, crushed against Henry's knee. Crushed it backward. The sickening, squelching squish of a joint being obliterated split the roar of the battlefield, silencing all. Henry choked in surprise, a sentiment Maleficent herself shared all too well.

The monarch crumpled to the ground, gawping, gasping, eyes agape.

"What have you done?!" He shouted at Naruto in the ensuing silence, aghast, clutching at the ruined limb. "What. Have. You. Done!"

Now it was Naruto who loomed over him, bleeding from a mortal wound. An angry growl snaked between his teeth.

**_"What have I done?"_** his words were rough, fierce, feral. _**"What have you done?! What right do you have to strike at my precious person, fool! None! You YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!"**_

His eyes had changed yet again Maleficent realized-no longer were they that kind and gentle saffron of nature or even his own impish blue. Instead, they were red and slitted, so much like the eyes of a dragon. Her two favorite colours were nowhere to be seen, she realized, and somehow, that made her nervous. Indeed, they were red.

Red and filled with wrath.

_**"I'm ending you!"**_

Snarling, the sage struck fast and hard, smiting the king across the head with his staff before he could utter so much as another word. A single sweep of that weapon cracked Henry's skull. Another shattered his sword as though it were made of ancient glass sending the aging monarch and his shattered hilt tumbling across to the ground, unconcious into his bedazzled men.

With their king in hand the army all around them was suddenly in full retreat, fleeeing as fast as they could, running away to civilization in the face of these horrid creatures. Naruto watched them go, chest heaving for breath, his fingers white-knuckled on his staff. Then it happened. He turned to look at her, and she saw the reaper in his gaze.

"Maleficent," he muttered, words blurring together. "I'm sorry...

"No," She clutched at his hand, fearing the worst. "Don't be sorry." she pleaded with him, feeling his weak pulse. "You did everything right. Please don't be sorry...

"Always...loved...you...

Maleficent watched, horrifed, helpless as he wobbled on his feet, suddenly pale. Blood leaked between his lips as he tottered backward, choking on nothing. Scarlet eyes rolled back in his head. Before her very gaze he crumpled, life leaving his features, his body striking the ground like so many of the corpses that littered the ground. Dead. Lifeless. A terrified shriek tore through her lips and into the air, a keening wail that threatened to tear her fragile heart apart and scatter its ashes to the winds.

"NARUTO!"

* * *

**A/N: And there you have it! I'm not sure if this is the first crossover in this genre, but its certainly the first I've attempted. Pairing is NarutoxMaleficent! Is Naruto dead?! Will he live?! And away I go! I've already got this story quite planned out, so I'll hope you'll stay tuned and share in the adventure in me. Anything's better than thinking of the death of my uncle, so, I've chosen to throw myself into my stories to keep my sorrows at bay. But that's all meaningless if I don't get any feedback or hear your thoughts on how I did!**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? This sad soul would certainly appreciate it =D**

**(Preview)**

_"Awk!"_

_A crow perched on Maleficent's shoulder, restlessly prancing to and fro on its impromptu roost. If her "familiar" could sense her troubled emotions then clearly, she was more distraught than she thought. The image of Naruto falling to the wet earth continued to haunt her, plaguing her every waking moment. Humans. It was all their fault. Their fault that her beloved sage lay wounded so-clinging to life by the tinist of threads. She knew not whether he would recover, or if he would die, even her magics were unable to mend him, thanks to the trace amounts of iron trapped in his wound._

_They needed to be taught a lesson, she decided darkly, her wings flaring at the thought. Punished. Naruto wouldn't like that she knew, wouldn't approve of her act, but in this moment wrath filled her heart. She wanted vengeance. By all that she stood for, she would have it. If not against the dead king, then his successor. How ironic, that this thief from all those years ago had somehow managed to scheme his way onto the throne. It mattered not how he had done it, only that he had, and for that reason, he too, would suffer._

_They would all suffer, for hurting her Naruto._

_"Hush, Diaval." she crooned, stroking the bird's black feathers with a hand, smoothing his anxiety with her words. "All will be well soon..._

_Soon._

**R&amp;R! =D**


	3. Rebirth

**A/N: Just got done watching Maleficent! It was perhaps THE best movie I have ever seen in my life, with just the right blend of humour, romance and action. Really made me feel bad for her given what happened to her during the movie, but I don't want to spoil anything. BUT! By the end a curious little idea had formed; she never really had anyone trulu faithful to hrdue to certain events far beyond her control.**

**Here it is, and thank you all for your support in this hard time! Its been really hard with my uncle having died; I knew him ever since I was little and the thought of him being gone like that...by his own hand no less...it makes me wonder if I really knew him at all. So once again, thank you for all the support.**

**I love you guys so, soooo much! *Cries***

**I suppose I'm writing this as a result of his death. My uncle never really had many friends you see, and sometimes I wonder if just one would've changed that. It was either continue writing what I'd initially started with this fluffy little fic, or drown my sorrows in alchohol. And as much as a might enjoy the occasional bear, I'd much rather pour out my grief into something productive, that will hopefully make me feel better, rather than get drunk and angry. Now, without further adeu, the continuation of an idea weeks in the making...**

**...here we are! Sorry if its short! But I'm back, baby! AND MALEFICENT IS VEEEEEEEEEEEEEERY SCARY IN THIS CHAPTER! Also, adorably cute...**

_"You will all die. By bramble, by bush, by fire, by flame, by rock, by water. I WILL KILL YOU ALL."_

_~Maleficent._

**Rebirth**

Six days passed.

Six days, in which Maleficent frantically dressed and tended Naruto's wounds. She worked night and day, picking the iron out of the sage's flesh with delicate care, praying he would be alright. She breathed her magicks into him, urging his wounds shut with soft kisses, all the while cursing the men who had done this to her beloved. Her all.

The fae swore vengeance upon them. All of them.

On the first day his fever broke. Upon the second and third, she found the last remnants of iron in his blood, and pulled them free. On the fourth she slept the entire day with him-warming his body with hers-coaxing the magick that was her very essence into his blood, willing him to heal, to be whole, to come back. Back to her. When the fifth came, his fever finally broke, the seal made by his mentor breaking against his back, releasing something strange and unknown in him.

But it wasn't enough. His healing wasn't enough, to soothe those spiteful feelings in her heart.

Even now she longed to lash out, not at him, but at the king who had dared to harm him. She wanted to grind their bones into dust!

"Awk!"

A crow perched on Maleficent's shoulder, restlessly prancing to and fro on its impromptu roost. She sniffed.

If her "familiar" could sense her troubled emotions then clearly, she was more distraught than she thought. The image of Naruto falling to the wet earth continued to haunt her, plaguing her every waking moment. Humans. It was all their fault. Their fault that her beloved sage lay wounded so-clinging to life by the tiniest of threads. She knew not whether he would recover, or if he would die, even her magics were unable to mend him at all.

But her magic would not be mending the humans. Oh, it would not!

They needed to be taught a lesson, she decided darkly, her wings flaring at the thought. Punished. Naruto wouldn't like that she knew, wouldn't approve of her act, but in this moment wrath filled her heart. She wanted vengeance. By all that she stood for, she would have it. If not against the dead king, then his successor. How ironic, that this thief from all those years ago had somehow managed to scheme his way onto the throne. It mattered not how he had done it, only that he had, and for that reason, he too, would suffer.

They would all suffer, for hurting her Naruto.

"Hush, Diaval." she crooned, stroking the bird's black feathers with a hand, smoothing his anxiety with her words. "All will be well soon...

_Soon._

On the sixth night, she made war.

* * *

That night, Maleficent went to the castle and drowned herself in the blood of men.

Swift strides carried her through the halls of wrought stone and masonry, her burning gaze fixated on a single, vivid point. She disemboweled the pair of guards at the door, charring them alive in their own suits of iron before they could hope to draw their blades. Another glance sent them crashing down the hall, their corpses still steaming from the deadly flame.

Two more rushed to meet her; she barked a word-one of the words Naruto had taught her-and they turned to squirrels at her feet, gibbering madly. She laughed, leaving them to their fate. The next squad encountered fell to lightning, their blood spattering across her pale face.

Many magics were unleashed in the hall of man that night, the very castle itself twisted by the hate she brought to bear. And then there were no more soldiers left to kill. They'd either retreated, or she'd simply slain them all. The thought warmed her.

The door she sought, heavy, carved wood, parted easily before her hands.

A rusting squeal of iron hinges greeted her ears, jarring the King awake in his bed, waking him from fitful slumber with his young wife. The fae felt her stomach roil at the sight of her, that roiling turning to a great and awful heaving when she saw the fullness of her belly. This man, this rat, this weasel that crawled the earth on his own belly, deserved no happiness. He deserved no heirs.

None at all.

The young wench scrambled away when she saw Maleficent, her brown eyes growing wide and large with fear.

"Who are-

"Silence." she snapped her gaze at the woman with an irate glower, slamming her down with a wave of her wings. She went down with a groan, paid no further heed. She'd eyes only for the king, and she would not be denied her vengeance. Not now. Not ever.

"Hello, your majesty." she feigned a bow, deep and scornful. A weak groan greeted her as she pulled back the curtain-

-and what she saw there only made her satisfaction all the more _sweet._

Disease had laid a claim to him since she'd seen him last; the leg that Naruto had taken was green and infected with the rot. King Henry lay there, propped up by pillows, weak and infirm, soiling himself at the sight of her, this great horned devil come to kill him. Quivering with the palsy. The sight of him turned the embers of her fury into a roaring flame, consuming all else. Her hand rose to cut him down...paused.

Her eyes cut across the young wench, still quivering away in the corner,

A cruel smile lifted her lips.

_"I curse you, majesty,"_ she began slowly, green sparks of flame dancing from her lips, crawling across him, across the woman he'd put up the spout._ "I curse you and all your decsendants after you; I damn you and all those who take your iron throne to be consumed by your own fear, your heirs to die by mine, by the hands of my children and their children and their children's children. You will all die. By bramble, by bush, by fire, by flame, by rock, by water. WE WILL KILL YOU ALL."_

With that, she killed the king in his bed, lopped off his ugly little head, and stuck it on the mantle. She returned to the Moors, triumphant, and laid down beside her slumbering love once more. She thought that was the end of it, that no one would threaten her further. How wrong she was.

That night, the Sage visited her in her dreams.

* * *

_The field of straw stretched out beneath an ashen sky._

_Dead light filtered through a white tree, its bones twisted and gnarled as it awaited its final death. Maleficent sat beneath it, her small body curled into a tiny ball, large wings folded around her in a protective blanket. A tiny sob forced its way past her lips._

_She'd killed the one responsible, but the ache remained, dull and throbbing._

_In the dream she was a little girl again, helpless and sad and alone. She was crying, wailing, waiting, wanting him to come back. But it was dark, and she couldn't find him and it hurt. It hurt, because she knew he was there but she couldn't see him through the grass. She cried his name but he didn't answer, didn't come. Her thoughts blended together, maddeningly. Part of her knew this was a dream, but the pain was too much for her to ignore, too real too prevalent because she was alone alonealonealonealoneandshewantedhimwherewasheohwhere..._

_A hand tapped her shoulder, drawing her out of her sorrows. Slowly, she raised her gaze..._

_"Naruto!" She wanted to weep!_

_She saw him then and he was beautiful because he looked like her, with horns and wings and oh, she was the most wonderful thing she'd ever seen..._

_"Wake up." he whispered._

_And she did._

* * *

Naruto woke slowly.

The world came back to him in fits and starts, like a recalcitrant child refusing to obey. His body instantly registered the blistering agony across his chest, a crippling pain that threatened to send him tumbling back into the depths of oblivion even as he struggled to claw his way back out of it. Even as he fought to ignore the pain however, it disappeared, leaving him with a curious numb sensation in its wake.

Gradually his surroundings came back to him; he lay on a small hillock in the moors, the gentle sounds of the night crooning softly to him. His staff lay close at hand and he grabbed it, his fingers wrapping around that old, battered piece of oak for support. There was an ominous weight on his back that hadn't been there before, threatening to send him tumbling down once more.

Nevertheless, the staff stood firm as he pushed himself upright, an immutable pillar holding him fast.

He caught sight of himself in a shard of glass-why would there be glass here?-saw the red eyes staring back at him.

...well, that's unpleasant." A blink, weak and unsteady. "Eh?

Not just the eyes. Tails. Horns. Ears.

His hand reached up, patting his forehead, alarmed to find a pair of very kitsune-like appendages in placement of the once human apparatus he'd called his ears. The long things twitched in anger, his lips pinching into a scowl as he realized the truth of what he was. What'd he become.

"Naruto...

He started upright as a figure detached themselves from the tree upon which he leaned. He felt an old ache in him at the sight of her. She stepped around the tree slowly, hesitant, almost afraid to approach for her that he would shatter into a dream.

"You're alive." she murmured.

"Looks like it...

Then he saw Maleficent's expression. Relief shone in those diamond-like eyes, wet tears glistening in her depths at his survival. She went to him, laid hands on him as he stepped out of the shadow, trying to soothe him, telling him how happy she was that he was alive, that he was safe, that he was alright...

"Beloved," she cooed softly, kissing him. "You're here. You're alive. You're with m_e..._

He knew that. Saw that. But also something else. Something he wasn't entirely sure he liked. When he stepped out into the light-when she saw him-he knew at once what was coming. The face that stared back at him in the pool was both his, and not his. Horns curled up out of his forehead, beneath which the ears of a fox of the wilds hung, black as night. Nine tails of shadow curled restlessly around him-trying not to get in the way of his...his...his...

And there, at his back, their ebon feathers glittering in the moonlight...

Wings. He saw them, then. So did she.

"Beautiful." the words leaped from Maleficent's mouth in a startled gasp, her hands forming a small tent over her mouth. "Oh, Naruto...you're beautiful." He didn't feel beautiful; his body felt strange and awkward and it was all out of balance, out of alignment. Her hands ghosted across his wings, wings so much like her own, and he felt a jagged bolt of pleasure shoot down his spine. So that was it felt. She was looking at him now, and oh, he knew that l_ook-_

"NARUTO~!"

In the next instant Maleficent swarmed over him, her arms wrapping around his neck, holding tight. She kissed him fervently-crying-and he yielded to her embrace, holding tight, drinking deep her scent. She was like a fire to his new senses, a warmth he'd never felt before, never expected to experience again. There was no hurry. They had all of eternity. The realization broke something in him. Then and only then, did he let the tears come.

"I'm back," he whispered.

Maleficent's only response was to bod and cry even harder, her sobs muffled into his shoulder. "Don't ever do that to me again...

They stood like that, wrapped up in one another, for a very long time...

...all the while blissfully unaware of the doom hurtling towards them.

**A/N: And there you have it! I'm not sure if this is the first crossover in this genre, but its certainly the first I've attempted. Pairing is NarutoxMaleficent! Is Naruto dead?! Will he live?! And away I go! I've already got this story quite planned out, so I'll hope you'll stay tuned and share in the adventure in me. Anything's better than thinking of the death of my uncle, so, I've chosen to throw myself into my stories to keep my sorrows at bay. But that's all meaningless if I don't get any feedback or hear your thoughts on how I did!**

**So...in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? This sad soul would certainly appreciate it. To those who predicted this would happen, I congratulate them =D**

**(Preview)**

_"Mama."_

_Maleficent stared down at the little girl in disbelief, trying to make sense of this odd little beastie in her dreams. She looked up at her, the child did, her bright blue eyes-Naruto's eyes!-regarding her beneath a curtain of dark, ebon tresses. Where one to look closely, they could see the beginnings of horns forming in her head. Small cheeks bearing faded whiskers, a cute little nose that scrunched now as she poked at it. A laugh followed, bell-like and perfect. _

_Perfect._

_That was the first word that came to her mind. Because that's what she was. Perfect. A flawless union of herself and the man she loved. And yet..._

_Her daughter-Aurora-hugged her._

_"Mama." she asked. "Why do I have to die?"_

_Maleficent started out of the dream with a yelp._

_"NO!"_

**What does the dream mean?! Stay tuned to find out! R&amp;R! =D**


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